Strategic Buyer

Job Description

Stepan is seeking a Strategic buyer to join our Procurement team in Paris or Voreppe (38). In this role, you will report to the Procurment Director. You will strengthen procurement capabilities on key chemical categories by bringing deeper market understanding and supporting supply security and value creation across Europe. Your spend is around 100MM$.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead strategic sourcing activities on selected chemical categories
• Develop strong market intelligence (supply/demand dynamics, cost drivers, supplier landscape)
• Secure supply in a constrained environment and manage supplier relationships at a senior level
• Identify and deliver savings and cost avoidance opportunities
• Contribute to structuring and prioritizing procurement activities across strategic and long-tail categories
• Work closely with business stakeholders (operations, sales, technical teams)

Education & Qualifications

• 8–12 years of experience in procurement, ideally in chemicals or industrial environment
• Strong exposure to commodity markets and/or technically driven categories
• Technical background (engineering) or solid experience managing complex chemical categories
• Ability to engage with suppliers on both commercial and technical aspects
• Structured, pragmatic, and solution-oriented
• Comfortable operating in an international environment

What we are looking for

• Someone who can own complex categories beyond sourcing processes
• Strong business acumen combined with market understanding
• Ability to operate in dynamic / constrained supply environments